History of the Friends of Franklin

Claude-Anne Lopez sat down on New Year's Day of 1978 and typed a response to my fan letter praising The Private Franklin. Typewritten letters were then relatively formal, but now seem steeped in personal contact and idiosyncratic details, direct from the gadget on the writer's desk.

Over those years I was not Claude's only correspondent -- fans of her books, lectures and visitors to the Papers at Yale alike found her to be a friendly, informative, and energetic Franklinian friend. This led directly to a letter I received dated June 15, 1988. On a perfect impact printer, with cutting edge word processing tools, Stuart Karu began:

"Dear Mr. Mangold: I am writing to you regarding a mutual friend, Benjamin Franklin. Your name was obtained with the help of the staff at the Franklin Papers and from others who share an interest in "the good Doctor." During a recent visit to Yale, the dedicated scholars at the Franklin Papers suggested that those of us with a true interest in Franklin should do what he would have done, i.e., form a society to share our mutual interest. That is the purpose of my letter, the establishment of a group of interested Franklinphiles, to be called, "Friends of Franklin." (Other name suggestions are welcomed). "

I gained the impression later that the heart of these conversations at Yale were between Stuart and Claude-Anne, and have always considered those two to be the prime movers in the creation of this group.

Follow-up letters from Stuart in July and September reported a good response, "with Philadelphia (appropriately) the preferred site for an initial meeting" to be held in October. In the meantime, Stuart invited the local respondents to meet at his home, which introduced us to his fabulous collection, since the heart of several public exhibitions.

The first meeting of "The Friends of Franklin Society" was held as planned on Friday, October 21, 1988 at the corner of Walnut and 36th streets, third floor, Room 5 of the Faculty Club at Penn. There were 27 attendees listed. After Stuart's opening, each of us made introductory comments. I met Deane Sherman again that day, a "friend of Claude-Anne." Another highlight of this round was Dr. William Carr introducing himself as "the oldest delegate" at the meeting, as Franklin was at the Constitutional Convention. A discussion of objectives, goals, names, etc." settled on pursuing the name "Benjamin Franklin Association."

At lunch in Room B, Gordon Myers of Trenton and I performed my "Lament for a Squirrel" taken from Franklin's correspondence with Georgiana Shipley.

After lunch, the briefings: Claude Lopez reported on the Papers (volume 27 coming out in December). Leo LeMay reported on plans for his symposium "Reappraising Franklin", Mark Lloyd and Robert Daniels reported on other plans in Philadelphia. The discussion of "Projects for the Friends to Support" sought to strike a balance between the Papers of Benjamin Franklin project at Yale and the Craven Street project in London. The decision was made to focus more on the Papers, general awareness, and networking through a newsletter.

Finally, Mark Lloyd and Dan Traister gave us an informal tour of Franklin at the University of Pennsylvania. I remember the quiet cold moment as we encountered the large portrait of William Smith. The Friends started out honoring Franklin's legacy, and embracing his grudges.

An Executive committee having been named of Stuart Karu, Ed Carter, Lovell Elliott, Aaron Goldman, Frank Jones, Benjamin Franklin Kahn, Mark Lloyd, Claude Lopez, Marty Mangold, Deane Sherman and Dan Traister, Stuart called us to meet on November 30th at his office near the National Cathedral in Washington. Our agenda included organizational tasks, funding for the Franklin Papers, planning for a full meeting in April 1989, and other business. The bylaws of the Benjamin Franklin Guild were helpful for our discussion. We set membership types and dues, ranging from $50 annually to lifetime memberships.

On April 15, 1989 our second full meeting of "The Benjamin Franklin Association" was held back at Penn. The Board of Governors and Officers was confirmed, with Stuart Karu, Chairperson, Martin Mangold, Vice Chairperson, Frank Jones, Treasurer and Daniel Traister, Secretary. The board further included Edward C. Carter II, Mr. Goldman, Mr. Kahn, Mr. Lloyd, Mrs. Lopez and Mrs. Sherman.

The first major project concerned out-of-print volumes of the Papers. For example, volume 22 of the Papers was reported with a current stock of zero. The sales indicated 159 unsold copies, but they were nowhere to be found. This project came to fruition, and I always felt we had a connection to volume 22. There was a committee break-out, followed by briefings on the 1990 conferences.

At lunch, Anne-Stovall Charrier and I performed "POOR RICHARD sings of his Country Wife JOAN", which was, I am quite certain, the first time Franklin's "Plain Country Joan" lyrics were sung to its correct original tune in over a century.

On April 28, Stuart informed us that our offices would be housed at the University of Pennsylvania, and the name "Benjamin Franklin Associates" was too close to a Penn organization, so we were changing our name back to the original "Friends of Franklin." Stuart's July 26, 1989 letter had the new "Friends of Franklin" letterhead, but the enclosure was the real star: Volume I, Number 1 of the Franklin Gazette, edited by Claude-Anne Lopez. That first number included photos from our first meeting the previous October, including Ralph Archbold in costume and character.

For twenty years, I have been struck by the beauty of the layout and printing of this newsletter (appropriate for an organization honoring a printer). The newsletters themselves, available elsewhere on this website (www.friendsoffranklin.org), carry the history of our group from these early days to the present.

It's been a pleasure to be a part of the Friends of Franklin through its first 22 years. The technology has evolved, from Claude-Anne's beautiful typing to the published files online today, but the spirit of friendship and shared admiration of "the good Doctor" has been consistent throughout.

Martin Mangold, Founding Member
Board of Director, The Friends of Franklin, Inc.